best birthday gift
by Storiesinmymind12
Summary: Damon gets the best 25th birthday gift from Emily
1. Chapter 1

1:45 AM. He was wide awake. He glanced down at his wife wrapped tightly in his arms, thankful she seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for him, he was on edge and sleep seemed nowhere in sight tonight.

2:45 AM. Shifting slightly onto his back, he reached for the monitor that sat on the table next his side of the bed. He'd insisted on it being set there instead of by her and after a large eye roll from his pretty wife, she'd relented. He clutched the monitor tightly in his hand and held it up to his ear, listening for any sign that something may be wrong.

3:45 AM. He was no closer to sleep than he'd been an hour ago. But a small sound caught his attention and he sat straight up in bed, pushing the monitor right up against his ear. There- there it was again. He shot out of bed and raced into the next room. Silently, he peered into the white painted wood crib that sat in the corner of the room.

There, sleeping peacefully was the best 25th birthday present he ever could've hoped for- the most beautiful baby girl in the entire world- two day old Sophia Elizabeth Young .

Beautiful porcelain skin like her mother , a head of dark hair, long eyelashes that laid against her delicate cheeks and if she were to open them, big blue eyes, much like his own. She was perfect- ten fingers, ten toes and not marred by the world in any way, shape or form. She'd never been hurt, her heart never broken and he wanted to keep her that way, wrapped in this perfect bubble for the rest of her life.

She shifted slightly in her sleep, making a small noise similar to the one that had drawn him in here in the first place. He leaned gently on the side of her crib, and just watched.

4:45 AM. Emily shifted in her sleep, but woke when she realized the familiar blanket of heat that always surrounded her was missing. Looking at the clock, she was surprised the baby hadn't woken up yet. She'd put her down after she'd fed her at 12:30 and so far not a peep from her. But, shaking the sleep from her head, she realized that's probably where Damon had gone, allowing her to get some sleep. She climbed out of bed and reached for her silky robe, tying it around her.


	2. Chapter 2

She walked into Sophia's nursery, smiling as she immediately spotted her husband's large frame leaning over their daughter's crib.

He watched her walk towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing a kiss to his back. "Baby, what are you doing?" she whispered ever so quietly. "Did she wake you up? You should have woken me."

Shaking his head, he whispered back, "No, she hasn't woken up since we put her to sleep."

He turned in her arms, drawing her in tightly. "I just wanted to check on her, make sure she was ok."

"Honey, did you sleep at all?" she asked as she pushed a lock of hair from his forehead.

He looked everywhere but at her, he was a terrible liar and she could read him instantly like a book.

She guided his face to meet her eyes, looking at him knowingly, "Damon, it's her first night at home. You've got to get some sleep while you can, baby."

He brought his lips to hers, kissing her softly. "I know. But I just couldn't help it. She's so beautiful and perfect and I can't believe she's finally here. I love being a daddy already."

Emily 's heart melted at the words of her big, tough rockstar husband who deep down was really just a teddy bear and the best husband and father she ever could've dreamed of having.

The past, almost six years, of having him in her life had completely changed the path of life she thought she would be traveling down. Marriage they just had their three year wedding anniversary and a family weren't really in her short term plans after winning the Olympics, but that had all changed the day she met Damon Young at the kegger and later at the pizza shack.


	3. Chapter 3

A small, soft whimper turned them both around. She reached for her daughter, but Damon beat her to it. He was enamored of the small baby and she already had him wrapped around her very small pinky. Emily had a feeling she was in for a wild ride with these two.

Sophia's whimper suddenly turned into a full out wail.

"Shhh baby. It's ok. Daddy's here. Daddy's gotcha. Don't cry, Sophia ." He whispered sweet nothings to her as he held her tightly and rocked her slowly. "Daddy will never let anything happen to his princess. Shhh."

Emily watched, mesmerized at the perfect picture they made, wishing she had her phone to capture the moment. She left them in their own world for a few minutes more, until Sophia's wails turned back into whimperings. "Damon , I think she's hungry."

Nodding, he handed the baby off to her as she sat in the rocker, settling in the chair next to her. He watched, fascinated as the evidence of their love drew nourishment from his tiny wife. Once she finished, she handed Sophia back to him while she put herself back together.

Damon led his small family back to their room, wanting just a few more minutes with them before he put Sophia back in her crib. Sitting down on the bed, his back to the headboard, he wrapped his left arm around his wife, kissing her on the head and together they cradled Sophia. Emily watched Damon doze off quickly and brought their daughter back to her crib. Lying back down next to her husband, he wrapped his arm around her, a natural response even in sleep and together they savored the last few hours of night they had together.

Morning came much too soon for Emily on a morning on which she had nothing to do, but opening her eyes, she immediately realized what had roused her so early. There, lying next to her, was the most adorable picture she had and ever would see in her entire life. She quickly reached for her phone before either one of them woke up and snapped the heart-melting picture.

Damon lay on his back clad only in blue plaid pj pants , content in sleep, his sweet baby girl sleeping on her tummy on his bare chest, his large hand on her back, almost completely covering her tiny body.

They were a private family her a Olympic gold medalist and he a two time Grammy award winner , choosing very carefully the things to share with both the media and their fans, but this was just too adorable for her to keep to herself. And, she supposed, some kind of baby announcement was probably in order anyway.

She tapped a few buttons, unable to contain the grin on her face as she saw the precious picture again. They allowed the world into their family on momentous occasions- their engagement, their wedding, and every once in a while on a completely random basis. But even with all the time that had passed, their postings of them as a couple generated thousands and thousands of likes, comments and favorites between both of their accounts. She figured this one might break social media all together.

As she hit "Post", she could almost imagine the squeals as her picture went around the world.

 _EmilyKYoung: please help me welcome DamonYoung to the wonderful world of fatherhood. We are excited to announce the birth of Sophia Elizabeth Young who at 6 pounds and 5 ounces already has her daddy wrapped around her tiny finger._


End file.
